Sunday, January 30, 2011

'Embedded Dreams' - by Jill Jones

We need rain, you bet, clouds
promise wind jazz, play low.
How risky, annihilation’s here
on the street, gaping holes.
Facts are round as reality
breathing like faithful dogs.
Generations stage burning thoughts,
the audience crosses its legs.

May your erasures rise
above stings and dreams,
the friendly palm,
mornings of machines.

Afterwards what’s claimed
(no-one knows).

- Jill Jones

from Shampoo. a great magazine of contemporary poetry at http://www.shampoopoetry.com/shampoothirtyeight/jones.htm

Friday, January 28, 2011

Geoff Page - Guest Poet at FAWWA

Geoff Page, b.1940,is an Australian poet who has published 18 collections of poetry as well as two novels, four verse novels & other works including anthologies, translations and a biography of the jazz musician, Bernie McGann. He retired at the end of 2001 from being head of the English Department at Narrabundah College in the ACT. Geoff has won many awards, including the ACT Poetry Award, the Grace Leven Prize, the Christopher Brennan Award, the Queensland Premier’s Prize for Poetry & the 2001 Patrick White Literary Award. Geoff’s poems have been translated into Chinese, Hindi, German, Serbian, Slovenian and Greek. He has also read his work & talked about Australian poetry around the world.


Using Traditional Forms in Contemporary Poetry
This will be a quick look at the role still being played by traditional metres and forms in contemporary Australian poetry. It will present an opportunity for each participant to have one of their own poems in traditional form considered in detail in a workshop situation. Forms such as the sonnet, villanelle, sestina, pantoum, tanka and haiku will be discussed as well as the use of iambic metre and various stanzaic forms (such as the ballad) as occasional alternatives to the prevailing free verse orthodoxy.

Participants should submit one poem (written in some sort of traditional form) for consideration a fortnight before the workshop.

Book NOW to ensure your place at this workshop with leading Australian poet Geoff Page. (Ph. 9384 4771; Email: admin@fawwa.org.au

Members: $30
Non-members: $45
Date: Saturday 12th February 10:30 to 12:30
Where: Tom Collins House

Monday, January 24, 2011

WA Library looking for your zine ...

From the Desk of Sue Byrne ...

Greetings!

I work at the State Library of Western Australia.
We are aiming to start at collection of zines.

Do you have any titles available?
I will be attending the picnic at Hyde Park on Saturday January 29th hosted by the Perth Zine Collective.
Could you bring along your zines?
Alternatively zines can be posted to :

Attention Sue Byrne
Collection Development
State Library of WA
25 Francis Street
Northbridge 6000

Contact me if you have any queries.
I am also on facebook.

Cheers,

Sue Byrne

Susan Byrne
Librarian Collection Development
T (08) 9427 3312
F (08) 9427 3152
E susan.byrne@slwa.wa.gov.au

Ellington Jazz Club Hosts Harry Winton - and a Great Oz Night



The musical fireworks will be at The Ellington - and you're allowed to drink!!! Join us Wednesday night for an excellent Australia Day show with Freddie Grigson, as well as the unique stylings of Pugsley Buzzard on Sunday.

WEDNESDAY - 8.00pm Freddie Grigson Quartet - Australia day Jazz show with the one and only Freddie Grigson in a smoking quartet setting. Avoid the traffic as we're just a short walk from the fireworks on the foreshore. http://tinyurl.com/4mspnax

THURSDAY 8.30pm Harry Winton Band - This versatile and talented young guitarist is stepping out for his first gig as a leader at The Ellington. After tearing it up at numerous late shows and jazz shows, expect a fantastic night of guitar from the son of famous author Tim Winton. http://tinyurl.com/4orsy7l

FRIDAY 8.00pm Libby Hammer - Rich vocals and masterful instrumentation from her impeccable rhythm section provide a raw, stylish romp through lesser-known gems of the standard songbook. http://tinyurl.com/4dhwvtz

FRIDAY 11.30pm Late night groove series featuring Sam Nafie and Megan McInerney - A special Ellington debut show. Megan is a Sydney based singer inspired by artists, Edith Piaf, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Sam Cooke and Camille. Sam Nafie has got it down in the realms of funk, blues, and all things soul. http://tinyurl.com/4tz9uh5

SATURDAY 8.00pm Ali Bodycoat Quintet - come and check the wonderful Ms. Bodycoat in a wonderful night of swinging standards and always with a great band. http://tinyurl.com/4c54bgs

SATURDAY 11.30pm Late night groove series featuring Danny Martin and Cian Caton - Delivering fresh selects from the Neo Soul, R&B and Hip Hop culture, bear witness to this premium six piece lineup featuring Hans Fiance (Keys), Dane Alderson (Bass), Ben Falle (Drums). http://tinyurl.com/4ptgf2l

SUNDAY 6.30pm Pugsley Buzzard (Sydney) - Pugsley Buzzard, piano player and singer with a distinctive sound plays funky New Orleans grooves, barrelhouse blues Harlem stride and modern stylings that feature loads of tantalising improvisations. Performing tonight in a quartet setting. http://tinyurl.com/45aujyb

MONDAY 7.30pm 2011 Chamber Jam Launch - It’s back! Chamber Jam, the unique chamber music showcase presented by North Street Music returns in 2011. Featuring Claire Bonner (Guitar), ISQ (The ‘contemporary’ version of the Imperial String Quartet) and Phil Everall (Bass Clarinet). http://tinyurl.com/46bol68

Coming soon:
February 24 Katie Noonan (Qld)
March 6th Albare (Melbourne)
March 8&9 Jose James TBC (USA)
March 20 Paul Williamson (Melbourne)
April 1 Colby Grant and Prita Grealy
April 12 Dominique Fillon (France)
May 1 Iro Rantala (Finland)
May 18&19 Martin Taylor and Alison Burns (UK)
May 24&25 Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra
June 1&2 Aaron Goldberg Trio (USA)
June 3&4 Ari Hoenig (USA)
June 6&7 Jacam Manricks (USA)

Become a member today for great benefits and support live music http://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/index.php/memb

Book your function at The Ellington - email: bourbywebster@ellingtonjazz.com.au

Book online to avoid disappointment http://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/index.php/schedule


The Ellington Jazz Club. 191 Beaufort Street, Perth. W www.ellingtonjazz.com.au

Friday, January 21, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Meet your Makar - on the BBC Blog



First Scottish Makar of modern times was one of my favourites, Edwin Morgan - a scholarly witty man with a wonderful way with words for public and private occasions. Unfortunately he has met his original Maker, so now the Scots have elected a new Makar :: Liz Lochhead (pic).

A small piece about it can be read at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/paulinemclean/2011/01/making_of_the_makar.html

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Another look at the Villanelle


Here's a translation of Jean Passerat 's Villanelle from the 16th century (originally written in French.)

I Have Lost My Turtle Dove
by Jean Passerat

I have lost my turtledove:
Isn’t that her gentle coo?
I will go and find my love.

Here you mourn your mated love;
Oh, God–I am mourning too:
I have lost my turtledove.

If you trust your faithful dove,
Trust my faith is just as true;
I will go and find my love.

Plaintively you speak your love;
All my speech is turned into
“I have lost my turtledove.”

Such a beauty was my dove,
Other beauties will not do;
I will go and find my love.

Death, again entreated of,
Take one who is offered you:
I have lost my turtledove;
I will go and find my love.

....

And much more to read, with examples, at http://oneshotpoetry.blogspot.com/2011/01/monday-one-stop-poetry-form-villanelle.html

Limelight magazine is now online!



The new homepage for fine music and the arts
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNF70AL


Take a tour of the new Limelight website. Watch now.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNF80AM


Australia has such an exciting fine music and arts scene, but there has never been a website devoted to it, which is why I am so thrilled to be launching the Limelight site.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGA0AW

This will be a hub for lovers of fine music, a place where you can get the latest news about musicians and music, the reviews of the most exciting new CDs and DVDs, interviews with touring artists - everything our readers are used to getting in the magazine, but in a fresh, constantly renewing format.

ABC Classic FM broadcasts are a big part of what we do at Limelightt, and we've repackaged the ABC Classic FM listings to make them really user-friendly, so it's easier to find out when the music you enjoy is being broadcast.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGB0AX

Concertgoers will love our comprehensive Event Finder - http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGC0AY , which lists classical music concerts across Australia. So whether you live in Melbourne or Mount Isa, you'll be able to find all the performances happening near you. We'll also have the latest news on music and musicians from Australia and overseas.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGD0AZ

In our Reviews section - http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGE0Aa , readers can access all our CD, DVD and film reviews - and enjoy audio and video samples of the works. We've also got some terrific blogs from some of Australia's most respected musicians, including Guy Noble and Brett Weymark, so readers can get a fascinating insight into what happens behind the scenes in Australian music.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGF0Ab

The Limelight website is going to be the new homepage for music and arts lovers: it's a site that is not dumbed-down, is full of interesting words, sound and video, and is a true reflection of the country's musical and artistic life.

We'd love to have our readers' feedback: you can write your comments on the site, or send an email to letters@limelightmagazine.com.au.

Also, if you'd like to get weekly updates on what's new on the Limelight site, you can register for our newsletter and become part of our community.
http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNGG0Ac

If you like fine music and great performances, http://e.limelightmagazine.com.au/cgi-bin16/DM/t/eCEDq0eKnxi0BKvM0CNF70AL is your site

Francis Merson
Editor

Monday, January 17, 2011

Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize for 2011

Website easily found: google Caselberg Poetry, from which I copy this:
(Landfall is NZ's oldest literary quarterly, and well designed)



Judged by Bernadette Hall

First prize, $500, Second prize $250, plus 5 Highly-commended (no monetary prizes).
The first- and second-placed poems will be published in the May 2011 issue of Landfall, and all winning and highly-commended entries will be published on the Caselberg Trust web-site (copyright remains with the authors).

Conditions of Entry
1. Poems must be the original work of the entrant, previously unpublished, and not submitted elsewhere.
2. Limit of 40 lines per poem.
3. Entry fee: $5 for one poem, or $10 for up to three poems from any one entrant.
4. Entries must be typed, double-spaced, on one side of A4 paper.
5. Any style or subject will be considered.
6. The poet¹s name must not appear on the manuscript. Please fill out the entry form provided and send it in with your poem(s).
7. Entries must be submitted by post to Å’Caselberg Poetry Prize, PO Box 71, Portobello, Dunedin 9048, NZ¹, to arrive not later than 31 January 2011.
8. The entry fee should be enclosed, preferably by cheque made out to Å’the Caselberg Trust¹ for $5 or $10 (or its NZ equivalent if entering from overseas); notes also acceptable.
9. Please enclose stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want a receipt, or if you would like to receive a copy of the Judge¹s report in due course.
10. Winners only will be notified of their success.
11. The Judge¹s decisions will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

Cut here....................................Cut here.................................

ENTRY FORM, CASELBERG TRUST INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2011
(Please print clearly. Thank you.)

Your Name....................................................

Phone No....................

Address.....................................................................

...................

..................................................................

E-mail.......................

Title(s) or first line(s) of Poem(s):

1...........................................................................
.....................

2...........................................................................
.....................

3...........................................................................
.....................

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Poem-of-the-Week from Frank's Home



Go to http://frankshome.org for this and other great poems. Frank Parker also has a Poem-of-the-Week appearing on facebook, if y're in the vicinity.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Donations for Queensland Flood Relief


http://www.haikuoz.org/2011/01/donations_for_queensland_flood.html



------------------------------------------------------------------------

We have all seen the images of devastation caused in Queensland by the
recent floods, and felt concern for the thousands of people who have
lost family, their homes and possessions. Graham Nunn has started a
flood relief appeal using sales of his most recent book of poetry,
Ocean Hearted, as well as personal donations to raise much needed funds
for the tens of thousands of people who are facing great personal loss.
All moneys raised will be contributed to the Queensland Premier’s
Flood Relief Appeal.

Details of Graham’s project are here: http://bit.ly/hkg55h

Please contribute what you can. Those affected by the flooding need
all the help they can get at this stage . . . it's going to be a long
road out.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Poet Laureate for Western Australia?

I saw this in my email incoming this morning, and it prompted me to think it would be nice if we had a Poet Laureate for Western Australia. We may have to begin without a budget, but poets are no doubt used to that Suggested poets would include Andrew Taylor, Fay Zwicky, Caroline Caddy, Dennis Haskell (he may be too busy!!), Kevin Gillam, Anna Marie Weldon, Glen Phillips - and the list goes on. We do have a fine array of poets, don't we!

Here's the email I refer to:

*The application for California Poet Laureate is now open. The submission deadline is February 1, 2011.*http://www.cac.ca.gov/poetlaureate/main.php

*If you are a poet, I encourage you to nominate yourself. I also encourage all of you to nominate the amazing poets in California!*

*California's poets are absolutely among the most prestigious in the nation. The California Poet Laureate is a Governor's appointee. We now have a new Governor, and it is also time to begin the selection process for the next California Poet Laureate. The mission of the California Poet Laureate is to spread the art of poetry from classrooms to boardrooms across the state, to inspire an emerging generation of literary artists, and to educate all Californians about the many poets and authors who have influenced our great state through creative literary expression.*

*I look forward to reading your nominations!*


Kristin Margolis
Literary Arts Specialist
California Arts Council * *

...

Just a thought. Maybe we could ask some illustrious benefactor to finance the first year - payment for visiting schools and universaties, organising some events, travelling to outback areas, appearinf on radio and TV, and running a dedicated blog.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Poem by Zbigniew Herbert


Okay, so I indulge myself, but I do hope my sharing of some of my favourite poems and poets also entertains you.

I Would Like to Describe

I would like to describe the simplest emotion
joy or sadness
but not as others do
reaching for shafts of rain or sun
I would like to describe a light
which is being born in me
but I know it does not resemble
any star
for it is not so bright
not so pure
and is uncertain
I would like to describe courage
without dragging behind me a dusty lion
and also anxiety
without shaking a glass full of water
to put it another way
I would give all metaphors
in return for one word
drawn out of my breast like a rib
for one word
contained within the boundaries
of my skin
but apparently this is not possible
and just to say -- I love
I run around like mad
picking up handfuls of birds
and my tenderness
which after all is not made of water
asks the water for a face
and anger
different from fire
borrows from it
a loquacious tongue
so is blurred
so is blurred
in me
what white-haired gentlemen
separated once and for all
and said
this is the subject
and this is the object
we fall asleep
with one hand under our head
and with the other in a mound of planets
our feet abandon us
and taste the earth
with their tiny roots
which next morning
we tear out painfully

--Zbigniew Herbert

From "Selected Poems of Zbigniew Herbert"; translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Peter Dale Scott

Monday, January 10, 2011

Another White Pill - poem by Andrew Burke

Such
a small pill,
circular, white, with
a central line chiseled in.

Dreams spring from
here, wave after wave in
the streaming syntax
of sleep,

pressed out
and lined in by
factory workers who
dream in a different language
of work hours and breaks –

packaging, dispatch, trucks,
planes and warehouses –
such a long way
until dreams are
unspooled

and translated
here, in the mind that
directs the hand
that writes the letters
that make the words
that boast of dreams.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Poem: LISTENING TO MERWIN

He's giving a TV interview
first extolling the beauty of Hawaii
he's one of the ones who escaped.

Imagination, he says, defines us
as humans, able to eschew propaganda,
but he's read everything, including
the propaganda he disprizes. We

are supposed to have dominion over
the beasts of the air and the field, we
are supposed understand all things
through our nerves and skin
except how to hear what they tell us.

He starts each day writing down notes
in a spiral notebook
each morning
no computer
his door is open
listening for a sound
until it comes

He does not speak of effort
but transcribes, perhaps,
perhaps he will not say he is
a sacred stenographer
but that's his gist
he is not decorative
not about seeking an answer
not he nor we will ever have.

--------------
Ken Wolman

The Life and Haiku of Basho

The crane's legs
have gotten shorter
in the spring rain.

*

A field of cotton–
as if the moon
had flowered.

*

Another year gone–
hat in my hand,
sandals on my feet.

*

Harvest moon–
walking around the pond
all night long.

*

The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms.

*

A bee
staggers out
of the peony.

*

A cicada shell;
it sang itself
utterly away.


Read more at Suite101: Matsuo Basho: The Life and Haiku of Basho http://www.suite101.com/content/matsuo-basho-the-life-and-haiku-of-basho-a328685#ixzz1AJW0OCsb

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Perth Poetry Club back in action this Saturday at The MOON

Perth Poetry Club is back in action this Saturday 8th January, with a double dose of inspiration for the New Year: well-known local talents SCOTT-PATRICK MITCHELL and STEVE (SJ) FINCH will kick 2011 off with a bang, at The Moon, 323 William Street, Northbridge, from 2 to 4 pm. Plus open mike – all welcome.

SCOTT-PATRICK MITCHELL is a poet & writer who lives in Perth, Western Australia. He is an arts and fashion journalist for OUTinPerth Newspaper and is a poetry editor for dotdotdash. In 2009 he won The PressPress Poetry Chapbook Award and won the 2010 Perth Poetry Slam. In June he appeared as one of three emerging West Australian poets in Fremantle Press’ latest release New Poets. He is studying a Masters in Performance Poetry, upgrading to a PhD in 2011, at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In his downtime, he blogs his photographs of street art and obsesses over fashion.
_scott-patrick mitchell


In 2009, STEVE (SJ) FINCH decided to start a Perth-based literary journal dotdotdash. In 2010 he decided to start a vlog where he interviews his friends about their lives. In 2011 he decided to write some poetry for the Perth Poetry Club.
He is currently studying a PhD, and is located somewhere in the Moon.

Other events in Perth Poetry:

Cottonmouth:
When: 7:30pm Thursday 6 January 2011
Where: 459 Bar Rosemount Hotel 459 Fitzgerald St North Perth

Perth Poetry Slam at the Blue Room on Wednesday nights in February 2011

--
Perth Poetry Club, where slams meet sonnets.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Haikuleaks makes poems out of Wikileaks

Haikuleaks transforms some Wikileaks into haiku-shapes - not quite the real thing, but not even senryu - but fun. Here's just a smattering of them.


#
Trans-Atlantic Ties:
The Cases of Britain, France
and Germany.

#
He added that there
should be 'no blank checks, no checks
at all,' for Hamas.

#
They are being seen
as barometers for next
year's nationwide vote.

#
The vessels are met
either on shore or a short
distance off the coast.

#
The machines do not
operate well in non-air
conditioned spaces.

#
The forum would be
shaped with the broader picture
in mind, not just oil.

#
They also often
released hostages shortly
after their capture.

#
Post will be open
today for emergency
services only.

#
This does more than just
ensure that she has something
important to do.


Read them all at http://haikuleaks.tetalab.org/

Sunday, January 02, 2011

One Evening - a poem by William Stafford

On a frozen pond a mile north of Liberal
almost sixty years ago I skated wild circles
while a strange pale sun went down.

A scattering of dry brown reeds cluttered
the ice at one end of the pond, and a fitful
breeze ghosted little surface eddies of snow.

No house was in sight, no tree, only
the arched wide surface of the earth
holding the pond and me under the sky.

I would go home, confront all my years, the tangled
events to come, and never know more than I did
that evening waving my arms in the lemon-colored light.

-- William Stafford

Born Jan. 17, 1914, in Kansas, the much-beloved poet and pacifist William Stafford taught at Lewis & Clark College for 32 years. A longtime resident of Lake Oswego, he won the National Book Award in 1963 for "Traveling Through the Dark" and served as poet laureate of Oregon and the United States. He died in 1993. Throughout the month of January, the Friends of William Stafford sponsor many readings to celebrate Stafford's life. This year, two birthday celebrations are scheduled in the Portland metropolitan area Sunday, Jan. 9. At 2 p.m. in the auditorium of Beaverton City Library (12375 S.W. Fifth St., Beaverton), Ursula K. Le Guin and Molly Gloss will read; and at 7 p.m. at Stonehenge Studios (3508 S.W. Corbett Ave.), VOX: A Spoken Word Chorus will perform Stafford poems. Both events are free and will conclude with open mikes for audience members to read Stafford poems. For more information about Stafford Birthday Celebrations, contact Paulann Petersen at paulann@paulann.net

"One Evening" appears in "The Way It Is" (Graywolf Press; 1998).

This poem and article from http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2011/01/poetry_one_evening.html

Saturday, January 01, 2011

haiku for the new year

spring, ten ducklings born –
new year, eight fly away from
the cracked lake bed.